TAMPA, Fla. -- As sometimes happens with these things, Francisco Cervelli's longer explanation raised more questions than it answered.

The catcher, holding his first news conference since last week's story that linked him to the Miami anti-aging clinic under investigation by federal authorities and MLB, wanted to be clear on this point:

"I walked away with nothing in my hands," Cervelli said early Wednesday morning.

The problem is the 26-year-old, competing with Chris Stewart and Austin Romine for the Yankees' starting job, a handful of times referenced his statement on Twitter just after his name appeared on Biogenesis documents.

Cervelli wrote that after his foot injury in March 2011 he "consulted with a number of experts, including Biogenesis Clinic, for legal ways to aid my rehab and recovery. I purchased supplements that I am certain were not prohibited by Major League Baseball."

That would seem to contradict his assertion of walking away with "nothing," though a Yankees spokesman later Wednesday morning said the supplements came from a source other than Biogenesis.

Regardless, Cervelli, who answered questions for about 10 minutes on the subject, said he at no point has used or purchased performance-enhancing drugs in his career.

He has not spoken with MLB yet, Cervelli said, but is open to doing so.

Cervelli said he met with Anthony Bosch, the proprietor of Biogenesis who is at the center of the investigation, at the suggestion of someone he declined to identify, beyond saying it wasn't a player or agent.

Asked if he had discussed Biogenesis with Alex Rodriguez, alleged to have purchased PEDs from the clinic from 2009 into last season, Cervelli said "no, never."

Cervelli said he and Bosch "talked about things," which he didn't specify, though he stressed PEDs were not mentioned or offered.

"It [was] about therapy and that's it," Cervelli said.

He added, "I cannot say a lot of things right now," without elaborating. Asked if Biogenesis helped in his recovery in any way, he said: "No."

That Cervelli has admitted to any kind of connection with the clinic may not bode well for players such as Rodriguez and Gio Gonzalez, who have been steadfast in attacking the legitimacy of the documents in which their names and numerous others appear and denied any connection to Biogenesis or Bosch.

"I take my responsibility, nobody put a gun to my head to go there," Cervelli said. "I went there, I asked questions and I walked away with nothing in my hands. Right now I realize that maybe it was a mistake to go there. But it already happened, so what can I do?"